El Pasoans dedicating Sunday run to Boston Marathon victims (update)

Mourners attend candlelight vigil for Martin Richard at Garvey Park, near Richard's home in the Dorchester section of Boston, on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Martin is the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombing. (AP Photo/The New York Times, Josh Haner))

The victims of the Boston Marathon bombing will be honored in El Paso with a 3-mile run Sunday on Scenic Drive, organized by an Americas High School assistant principal.

Jonathan Valdez is inviting anyone to join him at 8 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Rim Road and Robinson Avenue to run across Scenic Drive and back, which is already closed to traffic Sundays for walkers and runners.

"They don't even have to run the whole way; they can walk or just go out there to support," Valdez said. "The most important thing is to honor the victims together."

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Aaron Bracamontes

Valdez, who has been running for two years, said he came up with the idea as he watched the images of the bombings on TV.

"It was heartbreaking because anytime I go to a running event, the energy is just overwhelmingly positive," Valdez said. "Just seeing that someone would try to hurt or damage that energy was very hurtful."

Another person who was sad to see the race end on a tragic note was Tom Furnival, who was at mile 26 when the bombs went off. He said he was around the corner and thought the cannonlike sounds were a 21-gun salute.

"I was just two-tenths miles away from the finish," Furnival said. "I came around the corner and you could see there was something wrong. But I never thought it was a bomb."

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The Boston Marathon had started out on a positive note with a moment of silence for the victims of December's Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, Furnival said.

"We had a couple of minutes of silence, which was a nice honor," he said. "Then four hours later, there is another tragedy."

Furnival said he was going to look into running Sunday in the tribute run.

About 50 runners have already told Valdez they will join him Sunday, and he has also reached out to co-workers and running organizations.

"The word is already spreading around, and some of my co-workers have said they will come, too, with their families," he said. "It's just coming together really quickly and people are starting to text me or post it on Facebook."

Valdez said that money donations will be accepted and sent to either the Vince Wilfork Foundation, established by New England Patriots football player Vince Wilfork, or The One Fund, set up by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Valdez said.

"I will take any donation you can give," Valdez posted on his Facebook. "It would be an amazing sign of solidarity for El Pasoans. I want us to show that El Paso is united in one way or another."

Donations of $10 can be made to the Wilfork Foundation by texting "VINCE" to 50555. According to media reports, Wilfork will match the donation if it raises $10,000.

The Red Cross will also be present to accept donations for the Eastern Massachusetts Red Cross, Valdez said.

Aaron Bracamontes may be reached at abracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6156. Follow him on Twitter @AaronBrac